


First Impressions (are not my strongest forte)

by burnintoash (funnymorning)



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, awkward boys in their natural habitat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 10:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17020563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnymorning/pseuds/burnintoash
Summary: Daniel has a big heart and Woojin suffers for it





	First Impressions (are not my strongest forte)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my 11k of chamniel nonsense.

So, there is a real possibility that a year ago, Woojin had grossly and unrealistically overestimated the workload involved in doing double major in urban dance and film, plus his ability to handle stress. Youngmin had straight up laughed at him when Woojin had told him during the college application process that he couldn’t choose between dance and film so he is taking both, and to be honest, that spurred Woojin on even more because Woojin is never one to back away from a challenge.

 

So, basically, it is Youngmin’s fault that Woojin is stuck inside the library at half past 11 on a Friday night, getting humiliated by his script-writing assignment that refuses to write itself. He was supposed to finish it two days before so that he has enough time to do the necessary editing before turning it in on Monday, but the whole of past week had been taken by his dance recital so Woojin did not have any time to look at anything else.

 

The library is blasting its air conditioner as if the rain pouring down outside is not enough, and Woojin pulls his threadbare hoodie tighter across his body. It does not help much because his hoodie has worn down enough to go past the ‘comfortable’ point and is now on its last leg ‘if you stretch it too much, it will come apart at the seam’ stage. Sadly, he also does not have much choice in clothing because at this point, 90% of his wardrobe is in the laundry basket, just miserably waiting on him to spare them attention so that they don’t have to keep sitting in the dark and smelly abyss of sweat and stains. Even Minhyun, who he mostly just run into during Minhyun’s shifts at the library, asked him earlier if Woojin has been wearing the same stripe shirt for the past three days.

 

Yes, he has been, and no, Minhyun does not get to talk because Minhyun probably gets dressed by adorable animated Disney animals every morning and  not everyone can or should be expected to adult on that level.

 

Woojin decided enough is enough when he realizes that he has been typing the same two sentences for the past few dialogues, the only difference being the spelling that gets worse as the main character goes on talking the same thing again and again. Woojin had barely slept last night and he also skipped dinner, having decided to come to the library immediately after his last class. He is tired and hungry and also kind of want to cry.

 

At least, tomorrow starts the weekend, the first one, in fact, where he is not supposed to be busting his ass in the studio so if he sleeps for like 7 hours and sticks his ass in the library all day, he can get everything done by Sunday morning. It is not ideal, but he will have to take it.

 

So, Woojin makes his mind up and wraps up, shoving all his notes and laptop into his bag and mentally going through the food cabinet at home. If Jihoon is a good friend (debatable), he would not have touched the ramen packet Woojin had bought a month back, and is pretty sure to still have at least one or two packets left. Or he can hit up the all night cafe in front of the library and get something to go.

 

He also needs a shower badly.

 

Maybe he can eat on the bus ride home, and then sleep in the shower.

 

When Woojin glances out of the library window on his way out, however, the night bus that he normally catches – the one that rarely comes by – is almost at the bus stop downstairs, so he has to shove his plans for food into the back of his brain and runs for his life so he can catch the bus. At least, he had already put all his shits in the locker so he does not have to lug  his bags and laptop around - he is going to be back here in the next ten hours anyway.

 

It is probably a testament to how many times Woojin has taken the last bus back home because the now-familiar driver wakes him up when the bus reaches his stop, and Woojin flusters out a thank you before getting off the bus into the pouring rain. His apartment is right across the bus stop at least, so he makes a mad dash towards the gate, fumbling for his wallet to get his keycard, and … fuck.

 

He does not have it.

 

He is about 99% sure that it is in his laptop bag because Woojin distinctly remembers putting it in there when he was rushing to school this morning. His T-money card is stashed in his phone case so he didn’t notice it earlier about his wallet missing.

 

Shit. The library probably would have been closed by now and he won’t be able to get to his lockers.

 

The rain over his head pours out even more because when it rains, it definitely fucking pours.

 

Woojin jogs back to the bus stop where there is at least a small shelter, which does not really help with the wind blowing like this, but at least the raindrops are not attacking his face, and calls Jihoon, who doesn’t pick up until the very last ring.

 

The background is noisy and rowdy and the voice that answers is not Jihoon.

 

Woojin groans. “Are you guys out clubbing again?”

 

“Theatre group outing.” Jinyoung chuckles. “Jihoon hyung is at the bar doing the bar challenge to get us free drinks! He’s supposed to do five hands-free shots. He’s at his third.”

 

“Please don’t let him die.” Woojin groans. “At least until the morning. I forgot my keys at the library.”

 

“Idiot.” Jinyoung says without mercy, and Woojin cannot even deny.

 

“It might be a while until he gets back.” Jinyoung says after a while. “He … erm… kind of threw up after the fourth shot.”

 

“Fuck me..” Woojin wails. 

 

“I’ll bring him home in the worst case, hyung.” Jinyoung answers. “I drew the short straw tonight so I’m chaperoning. Or do you wanna come over to the club? We are at the one in Jamsil.”

 

“I’d have to get a cab, and I don’t have any cash or cards on me.” Woojin mumbles. “Plus, I am soaking wet. I’ll just .. wait here. Make sure he doesn’t die and even if he did, bring me the keys first.”

 

“Jihoon hyung!” Jinyoung yells away from the receiver and Woojin can tell that he is probably in the toilet from the way the sound echoes. “Woojin hyung said don’t die.”

 

Woojin hears someone that sounds a lot like a heaving Jihoon yelled something akin to _fuck off_ before Jinyoung says a quick bye and hanged up.

 

God, maybe it will be a lot easier for everyone involved if Woojin was the one doing the dying instead.

 

* * *

 

The inside of the small 711 is a lot warmer and a lot dryer, and Woojin does feel bad for whoever that will have to mop after his muddy boot prints. That whoever is probably the dude sitting at the counter and reading and highlighting what seems like a textbook pretty ardently. Probably a part time student worker. Woojin’s entire heart (or what is left of it that hasn’t dried up in this coldness) goes out to him. Woojin hadn’t frequented this small convenience store a lot because he gets a student discount at the one in his university campus and with the way he consumes ramen and chips and unhealthy carbonated drinks, it makes a lot more economic sense to just frequent there instead.

 

Right now though, Woojin does not have much choice in terms of food because he only has the 7,000 won worth of coins he has stashed into his pants pockets after he got a coffee earlier in the evening. He is contemplating between the bigger cup ramen and the smaller cup ramen plus a sausage when a hesitant voice coughs next to him. Woojin looks back through his wet lashes to the origin of the sound to see the counter dude, now standing next to him, holding a mop.

 

“Do you need any help?” The counter dude asks, his voice deeper than Woojin would have expected and Woojin gives a quick shake of his head. He probably had been lurking around the ramen aisle for way too long like a creep.

 

“This..” Woojin shakes the small ramen cup in his hand and says eloquently. “I am getting this.”

 

“Alright.” The dude just raises his eyebrows and says casually. “I’ll ring you up.”

 

Woojin grabs the sausage he has been eyeing as well earlier and drops the both of them onto the counter, watching the dude goes into the restricted area behind the counter.

 

The dude has so much … shoulder, Woojin notices. He also has the kind of the face that the past Woojin would have been terrified to talk to, but living with Jihoon for an entire year had taught Woojin that the most handsome people can be the biggest idiots sometimes.

 

“That’ll be 8,850 won.” The shoulder-dude says and Woojin blinks.

 

“No… 6,850 won.” Woojin mumbles. He is pretty sure he is not brain dead enough to not know what 4000 + 2850 is.

 

“The cup noodles are 6000 won each.” The dude shrugs.

 

“But…” Woojin mumbles in desperation. “They were in the 4000 won section…..”

 

“Ah…might have been some shoppers dropping things around. I hadn’t gotten a chance to recheck the stocks.”

 

God fucking damn it.

 

“Can you … take out the sausage then?” Woojin says in what is possibly the world’s most pitiful voice despite his best efforts. “I’ll just take the noodles.”

 

“Hey, you know what?” The dude says, already taking a plastic fork from behind the counter. “I’ve already ringed them up so, just take it. On the house.”

 

Woojin blinks. “This is not your house.”

 

The guy blinks back. “I know?”

 

Shit. “No, what I mean is …” Woojin rushes to explain. “You don’t have to do this.”

 

“Really, man.” The dude laughs and Woojin, through his mushy brain, does not fail to notice how his eyes disappears into small little cute crescents when he laughs – Woojin’s gayness apparently can outweigh his tiredness. Good to know. “It’s cool. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“I…” Woojin takes the plastic bag the guy is handing over to him. “…thank you. Really. I’ll make sure to pay you back.”

 

The guy waves a hand. “Just pay it forward to someone. I’m good.”

 

A line has started to form behind him when Woojin was getting pity food at the counter from an unusually generous counter boy, so Woojin decides to cut it short and bows at the guy, mumbling another thanks before making a beeline towards the in-shop microwave. God, he can’t wait to stuff his stomach full of sodium and calories.

 

He is halfway through demolishing his not-fully cooked noodles when a plastic steaming cup slides next to his noodle cup on the counter. Woojin raises his head a little and chews the strand of noodles hanging out of his mouth before saying a mumbled _what._

 

“Hot chocolate.” The guy smiles, and now that there is no counter separating the two of them, Woojin can better read the name tag on the pale blue uniform that stretches across his frame.

 

“You don’t have to…” Woojin mumbles, but the guy, Kang Daniel, waves him off, again.

 

“It’s free for staff and I don’t really like hot drinks. But you look like you can use one.”

 

“I…” Woojin mutters, realizing that he has his free hand holding tight at his thin hoodie because he is still wet and cold from the rain. “… Thank you, again. Daniel, right? I’ll pay you back for all this.”

 

“How do you know my … ah… name tag. Anyway, like I said,” Kang Daniel smiles like he is a representative model for every toothpaste known to man. “Don’t worry about it. You are …”

 

“The hell…” Woojin mutters, distracted halfway through the nice warm hot chocolate because the very familiar red Audi that just passes by the convenience store he is in is definitely Guanlin’s.

 

He told Jinyoung to call him first if they are heading home.

 

“I have to go.” Woojin jumps down from the tall stool he is sitting on, gathering all his rubbish in a rush. “But thank you, really. I’ll come by tomorrow to pay you back!”

 

“Wait…” Kang Daniel says but Woojin is already on his way, pushing the door open with his shoulders and heading back out into the rain. He dumps all his rubbish at the refuse area at the street between his complex and the convenience store and jogs towards the gate of the complex where Jinyoung is getting out of the car and looking around.

 

“I told you to call me when you are leaving!” Woojin yells at him and Jinyoung jumps a little before turning towards him.

 

“Jesus, how are you still this noisy soaking wet? My phone died.”

 

“Urgh,” Woojin groans. “Where’s Jihoon?”

 

“Backseat.” Jinyoung points, and Woojin opens the door to climb inside the car, which smells like alcohol and puke - Guanlin’s mom is probably going to kill him in the morning and Woojin thinks Guanlin might actually be grateful for that from the way he is groaning pathetically in the front seat.

 

Woojin pulls Jihoon out with a grunt (and decided he is not in that bad of a mood to _accidentally_ drop Jihoon on the head on the sidewalk), and says a quick thanks to Jinyoung, who looked resigned to his fate of having to play driver for Guanlin now.

 

Jihoon does not puke anymore - _thank you every deity that ever existed -_ but he did try to punch Woojin in the face uselessly when Woojin grabs his wallet from his jeans to get his keys so Woojin doesn’t even feel bad about leaving him groaning on the living room couch to shower off the grime and the rain from his body and to wash his disgusting clothes.

 

It is not until he is warm in his bed and almost drifting to sleep that he remembers the giant peach of a human being at the convenience store, who Woojin had decided is too good for this cruel world.

 

He will definitely go back tomorrow to pay Daniel back.

 

* * *

 

Except, like 60% of the promises Woojin had made to himself with the goal of being a good person, he promptly forgets about it when the daily grind starts again.

 

* * *

 

“Woojin, do you have a minute?” Minhyun finds him in front of the vending machine.

 

“Do you have a 500 won coin?” Woojin asks. “I am 500 short from my daily dose of red bull.”

 

“I am not sure if I should be enabling you.” Minhyun mutters but still hands him a coin from his coin pouch.

 

Minhyun has a coin pouch.

 

Woojin is not even surprised.

 

“What’s up, hyung?” He asks when his beloved red bull can finally dropped into the container below.

“Seongwoo is doing a stop motion dance film for his Experimental Filmography class.” Minhyun replies. Experimental Filmography is a course Woojin is quite excited to take next year even though it is tough as fuck and Seongwoo makes sure to say that every three seconds. “But he needs some help with the cheoreo because the dance is not translating onto the stop motion probably.”

 

“He turned down my offer to be his model in the film, but now he wants my help?” Woojin pouts. Having his name on a previous year project will help with his portfolio so Woojin offered when Seongwoo brought up the subject of doing dance in films, since you know, both are his jams.

 

“Woojin,” Minhyun says exasperatedly. “He needs someone who’s available 4 days a week for at least three hours a day, and we literally thought you are going to die from overworking or malnutrition up until like last week. If Seongwoo had said yes, you might actually have died and then I’ll have a sad boyfriend who can’t finish his most important project.”

 

“In your scenario, I died and you two are sad because Seongwoo hyung can’t finish his project?” Woojin pouts.

 

“What’s your point?” Minhyun puts on his stupid innocent face and Woojin rolls his eyes before pretending to leave.

 

“He’s willing to pay you with free coffee whenever he’s on shift at Starbucks.”

 

“Oh, it’s fucking on.”

 

* * *

 

 

Seongwoo texts him the details when Woojin reaches home that evening. He just needs to meet up with Seongwoo and the guy he is filming with in two weeks’ time to help them with the choreography from the perspective someone who is actively doing both. Suck on that, Youngmin hyung.

 

Still, Woojin gives Seongwoo necessary shit about finding a dance model from a different (rival, in fact) school instead of getting one from their own dance department. Woojin does understand that Seongwoo and Minhyun are good friends with that guy, but Jihoon is also his good friend and Woojin would sell him to Satan for a corn chip, so …

 

Said good friend comes in through the door just then, throwing down himself next to Woojin.

 

“It’s your turn to throw the trash, dude.”

 

“Good evening to you too, Jihoon.”

 

“Good evening, Woojin. Go throw out the trash before I shove your head inside the full bin.”

 

You know what? Satan can get Jihoon for free. Woojin will even throw in some freebies.

 

Still, he picks himself up from the couch because one thing that both of them had agreed before living together is to never skimp out on chores unless one of them is close to actual death. Plus, they got a shitty thin rubbish bin from dollar store so when it is full, the stench spreads around quite fast and they don’t have enough windows and doors in this tiny apartment to air it out.

 

Still, he knees Jihoon, who is already on his phone playing some games, in the butt as he heads into the small kitchenette.

 

Jihoon apparently bought some snacks, the tied 711 bag lying on the counter and Woojin suddenly remembers that he still owed that good samaritan from the convenience store next block. Shit… it had already been … what … one and a half week?

 

And he does not have cash.

 

“Jihoon, lend me some cash.” He poked his head out and asks Jihoon. “Just a couple thousands. I want to go to the convenience store.”

 

“I stashed some change in that plastic bag.” Jihoon answers without even looking up and Woojin unties the 711 bag to see some a few bills, wrinkled and wet from the milk carton that Jihoon has put inside. Still, Woojin shoves them into his sweatpants and braces himself to get the trash out of their wobbly bin.

 

Only when he is in the lift, Woojin realizes that he should probably have put on something better instead of the old and stained shirt that was probably a pale grey at one point, but now just looks like the result of several color-mixing incidents in the washing machine, and slippers that is taped at the heel on one foot because Woojin really likes this one and he is too lazy to either buy a new pair or get it fixed when the sole starts coming off at the heel.

 

See, he wouldn’t have bothered if it was just him going to the designated refuse area next street over, but he wanted to go to the convenience store also and he can’t look like a hot mess a second time in front of a guy who is nice both in terms of physicality and personality. But then, Kang Daniel might not even remember Woojin and how Woojin looks or behaves in front of him probably doesn't even matter.

 

He is too busy deciding if he should just go home and change (and probably face with Jihoon’s 200 questions) just to visit Daniel’s store that it takes him a full minute to realize that he had thrown not only the trash bag but his phone into the garbage pile.

 

Shit on a stick.

 

At least, it has only been a few hours since the daily scheduled garbage collection so there is not a lot going on in the garbage pile, but his phone had already sunk in between some of the bags so Woojin grimaces, and rolls up his sweatpants, preparing to face the Mount Doom. Luckily, most of the bags ( _most_ being the operative word here) seems to be dry rubbish and his phone is lying on top of a stack of discarded paper so Woojin lets out a relieved sigh and picks it up quickly.

 

What the hell. Someone threw out a whole functioning alarm clock?

 

Woojin has been looking for an alarm clock because he had grown too strong for his phone and its snooze capabilities and this one, just lying there, ticking to no one’s attention, seems to be in perfect condition. He won’t even need to buy batteries.

 

Perhaps, dumpster diving is a valid career choice.

 

Woojin had just picked it up and trying to see if there is any defect that warrants its current discarded state when someone clears their throat.

 

Wait. Woojin had heard that sound before.

 

Kang Daniel is there …. Somehow looking even better in the same 711 uniform than Woojin remembers even with hands full of black trash bags. Bags that are similar to the ones Woojin is standing on …. Shit. He is fucking surrounded by literal garbage in front of a hot guy. If Woojin is not too occupied crying internally, he’d be amazed at how much he can mess up.

 

“I…” Woojin says eloquently and lifts the alarm clock in his hand. “I threw this away...accidentally.”

 

“I see.” Kang Daniel says even though Woojin is not sure what he _sees._ “Can you … erm .. please come down so I can throw these? They are quite heavy.”

 

“Right… yeah, of course.” Woojin stammers. “Sorry. Do you … need help with those?”

 

“No, I am good.” Kang Daniel smiles and throws one of the bags to where Woojin had just vacated. His biceps flex a little at the movement and Woojin gets a little gayer, which he didn’t think was possible before that very second. “How are you?”

 

“You .. remember me?” Woojin asks.

 

“Of course, I do.” Kang Daniel smiles again. “You ran out that night in a rush. Is everything ok?”

 

“Err..” Woojin starts, not sure how he can explain his entire predicament on that particular night. He finally settles on “I just remembered I got some stuff to take care of. It’s all cool.”

 

“Good to know,” Daniel nods, slapping his hands together, looking all ready to head back, and Woojin immediately rushes forward, almost bumping into Daniel’s chest.

 

“Hang on,” He says hurriedly and takes a few steps back because he’s pretty sure Daniel wouldn’t appreciate getting up close and personal with a dude who literally just climbed down from a trash pile. “Here, what I owed you that night.”

 

Daniel frowned at the crumpled wads of bills in Woojin’s hand. “I told you it’s alright. You don’t need to pay it back.”

 

“I know…” Woojin says. “But I don’t like owing people, and I know these are like … not in the best condition..” He tried a few sad attempts at flattening the bills but they remain stubbornly wrinkled. “ … but ..”

 

“It’s ok. Thanks.” Daniel says and takes the money from Woojin’s hands. Woojin tries not to think too much about their fingers brushing. People sometimes touch accidentally, Park Woojin. Get your ass together.

 

“Also,” Daniel says and Woojin looks up at him. “... I never did get your name.”

 

“Oh..” Woojin mumbles. He didn’t even know that Daniel would be interested to know his name. “I’m Woojin. Park Woojin.”

 

“Woojin…” Daniel repeats his name and smiles. Woojin does not know why or how his heart did that flipping thing it did just then. “.. it suits you. And sorry if i am wrong but that accent. Busan, right?”

 

Woojin blinks. “I … yeah.”

 

“I knew it!” Daniel says enthusiastically. “It’s always good to meet a fellow Busanite.”

 

“Hang on...you are from Busan as well?” Woojin blinks. He would have never thought of it with the smooth Seoul accent that seems to roll off of Daniel’s tongue.

 

“Born and raised.” Daniel grins like  the Cheshire cat. “But I’ve been here for a while now. Almost 4 or 5 years.”

 

Well, that explains the accent then.

 

“I moved just last year.” Woojin offers.

 

“I see.” Daniel nods. “Seoul is a little difficult, isn’t it?”

 

“Erm… I guess?” Woojin mumbles. It is different in terms of how open people are and how everything seems to be in a rush, but Woojin loves it. He lives off of the energy in the city that never sleeps.

 

“It’s always hard in the beginning. Fighting.” Daniel does a fighting gesture very earnestly and Woojin’s dumb self does not know how to reply to that because it exceeds his tolerance to cuteness limit so he just nods back stupidly. “Actually, if you are not in a rush, come with  me for a minute.”

 

That sounds very serial-killer of him, but Woojin is dumb enough to do anything to hang around Daniel so he said yes and followed Daniel back to the small convenience store.

 

During the short five minutes walk, he had learned Daniel’s favorite food places in Seoul and favorite hang out spots, which you know, would come in useful if Woojin is not chickenshit and actually brave enough to ask Daniel out.

 

But, alas, life has gifted Woojin with the confidence and charms of a  naked mole rat, especially in front of guys that look like Kang Daniel, so Woojin just nods and hums at Daniel’s very enthusiastic and slightly one-sided stream of conversation.

 

“Wait here for a while.” Daniel says as they step into the tiny convenience store and disappears into a store room with a sticker that says “Employees Only”

 

The girl manning the counter gives Woojin a raised eyebrow and Woojin nervously smiles back, feeling a little out of place in his ratty old clothes and a clock that he had dug out from trash.

 

Daniel comes back out not one minute later, holding a black plastic bag.

 

“It’s kimchi pancakes. My mom came down last week and brought so much food.” He says in way of explanation and hands the bag over to Woojin. “I brought it to eat it for supper but Sumin brought us some chicken feet so I’ll just eat that. Why don’t you take it?”

 

“What?” Woojin blinks. They had met a total of two times in probably some of the most unfavorable conditions, and it doesn’t make sense for Daniel to be giving Woojin his home made food.

 

Daniel twirls his fingers around the strap of the plastic bag. “It’s ok...really. I still have my fridge full back at my place, and it’d be such a waste for me to not eat this tonight. Plus, you know, my mom’s kimchi pancakes taste like the ones they sell in Haeundae market, so a little taste of home for you.”

 

“I … I mean, it’s very nice of you, Daniel, but I can’t just take it..”

 

“It really is no trouble for me.” Daniel gives him that megawatt smile again. “Here, c’mon.”

 

Woojin dumbly lets Daniel takes his hand and puts the bag into it. What even is this person…

 

“I .. thank you.” Woojin says instead of himself. “Let me buy you coffee or something the next time we run into each other then.”

 

“Sounds good,” Daniel answers happily before Woojin can get in over his head about _next time_ and how much it sounded like he was casually asking Daniel on a date.

 

“Niel, I am going on break.” The girl at the counter calls and Daniel whips his head back with a nod before turning to Woojin again.

 

“Duty calls, but enjoy the food. Eat it as soon as possible, ok? They will go bad quickly if you can’t refrigerate it.”

 

Woojin nods and watches Daniel tells him bye with a small bunny smile before bouncing over to the counter.

 

Huh?

 

* * *

 

“They sell this at the convenience store?” Jihoon walks into the kitchen and asks the moment Woojin brings out the pancake plate from the microwave. He probably either smelled it all the way from his bedroom door or had some security cameras installed in the kitchen - Woojin wouldn’t have put it past him.

 

“No.. erm … someone gave it to me.”

 

Jihoon’s hands stall on the uninvited chopsticks that he had already stuck into the pancake.

 

“Who?”

 

“Someone.” Woojin mumbles.

 

“I am not gonna eat something shady, Woojin.” Jihoon says and Woojin rolls his eyes.

 

“Did I ask you to eat, fucker?”

 

Jihoon sighs. “But it smells so fucking good. You know what? Worth the risk. The ambulance number is on the fridge, by the way.”

 

Woojin scoffs but takes a bite out of the pancake before Jihoon can, and god, Daniel wasn’t lying when he said it’s a little taste of home. It tastes like those big fluffy pancakes he can get at the beach market, the ones he and Youngmin used to go after school and dance practices. Even Jihoon is moaning indecently despite his initial hesitation and Woojin takes another big bite before Jihoon recovers from his food orgasm and demolishes the entire thing.

 

“Dude...who the hell did you rob it from? It tastes fucking amazing.”

 

“Just .. a friend.” Woojin mumbles. “His mum sent it to him apparently.”

 

“We have a friend that lives around here?” Jihoon furrows his brows. “You left for like twenty minutes.”

 

“We are actually not joined at the hips, you know?” Woojin rolls his eyes. “I have friend outside of our common ones.”

 

“Name one who isn’t Youngmin hyung, who by the way, doesn’t count because he knows me now and I’m sure he likes me better than you.”

 

Woojin snorts. “Dream on. And you won’t know him if I say the name. I told you it’s my friend.”

 

He is not sure if he and Daniel are even friends, but they have to be, right? Who the hell just gives home-cooked delicious food to a stranger?

 

Although, to be fair, Woojin wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel is the type to just do things like that every stranger that he meets. Woojin wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel also breaks out into songs and dances with woodland creatures like a whole Disney prince.

 

“Are you ..” Jihoon is narrowing his eyes at Woojin. “...dating? Without telling me?? What happens to bros before hoes, man?”

 

Woojin blinks and lets the words sink in first. “I am not dating. What the hell!”

 

“You said a guy gave it to you, right? That feels way too personal to just give it to a casual friend. I don’t even share my mom’s soy crabs with you …”

 

“...that’s because you are an asshole…”

 

“So, either you are dating or this guy is wooing you with food, which I can appreciate.”

 

“He…” Woojin feels a flush hot across his face. “... he is not wooing me.”

 

“Dude… the veins on your face are gonna burst if it gets any redder.” Jihoon scoffs. “C’mon. Tell uncle Ji. Who’s the unlucky dude?”

 

“I only met him twice …” Woojin mumbles, and recounts about his unfortunate runs in with Kang Daniel.

 

“Dude!” Jihoon says at the end of Woojin’s explanation. “He bought you food every time you meet? Fucking marry him.”

 

“Some of us do think with our brains and not with our stomach.” Woojin rolls his eyes.

 

“That’d require you to have a brain in the first place though,” Jihoon says and Woojin kicks at him under the table. “No, but seriously, is he cute? I mean, you sound exactly like the time you explained to me why you’d cast Chris Hemsworth to play a naked Spartan wrestler in your short film assignment so I am guessing he is.”

 

“He is not bad.” Woojin sneaks in a smile.

 

“You look dumb as fuck right now, by the way.” Jihoon says. “All love struck and shit.”

 

“I am not love struck!” Woojin argues. “He’s cute and nice. I can appreciate that.”

 

“I can appreciate it too.” Jihoon nods and Woojin steals the last piece of the pancake from Jihoon’s chopsticks before he can put it into his mouth. Jihoon glares at him.

 

“When are you gonna meet him next?”

 

“I … don’t know?”

 

“Dude...just go there like tomorrow and ask him if he wants to go for coffee or something when he’s free. It sounds like that guy is at least interested in you.”

 

“I don’t know, Ji.” Woojin mumbles. “I’m not like you. I don’t have the confidence to just go up to guys and ask them out.”

 

Jihoon purses his lips. “It pains me to say this so I will only say this once but your face is not that hideous, Woojin and you have an average body that people are not repulsed by.”

 

“Thank you?”

 

“So, have a little confidence in yourself and ask the guy out. He already gave you his mom’s homemade pancake. That’s as good as a proposal in my book.”

 

“Right. With the help of my not hideous face and average body.”

 

“Exactly.” Jihoon says with satisfaction. “Worst case scenario, you shop at a different store. Big deal.”

 

“You know what?” Woojin says. “You are right. I want to buy him something for being so nice to me anyway. I’ll ask him the next time we meet.”

 

“I am always right.”

 

“Even a broken clock gets the time right twice a day, Jihoon.” Woojin laughs. “Don’t let it get to your head. Oh hey, speaking of clocks, look what I found in the trash.”

 

Jihoon blinks at the alarm clock Woojin proudly presents to him. “You … dug that out of the trash?”

 

“It’s working perfectly fine!” Woojin argues. “People are so wasteful these days.”

 

Jihoon just gives him an unnerving stare before shaking his head. “You are a strange one, Park Woojin.”

 

* * *

 

When Woojin goes to the small 711 the next day, Daniel is not there. Woojin supposes he should have expected the shift nature of part time workers, but the disappointment that he feels is heightened by the fact that he had been bracing and hyping himself up way too much the night before in expectation of meeting Daniel today.

 

He considers asking the dude manning the counter if he knows anything about when Daniel’s shifts are scheduled, but that feels a little creepy and also, awkward, so Woojin just buys a soda can that he doesn’t need, and leaves the place dejected.

 

And because he is not as dumb as people would have believed, Woojin realized (a little embarrassingly late if he’s being honest with himself) that he had run into Daniel exclusively on Friday nights, argo, Daniel has at least one shift on Friday nights. It is only Saturday now so Woojin has approximately 6 days to prepare his psyche a little more, or more realistically, freak himself out even more.

 

He spends the weekend catching up on his dance classes and trying to hold Seongwoo down to talk about his project, but Seongwoo is caught up in another class and asks Woojin to clear up a few days in two weeks’ time instead, which is more than fine with Woojin because his assignments are piling up again. At this point, he is at least 75% sure that all his professors are conspiring behind his back to synch up their due dates on assignments because what are the chances that a research paper on dance theory class and his basic animation projects are due on the same day with hours difference? Obviously, the universe is planning his pitfalls.

 

Hopefully, he doesn’t die and submit all his shit by Thursday so he can go and ask out a guy who is way above his league on Friday and either get a potential boyfriend or die in humiliation - it is 50-50 at this point.

 

By the time Wednesday rolls in like an uninvited house guest, Woojin is not even close to finishing his animation project because his teammate is a dick who had pulled the disappearing act for the second time this semester and given that this is a two-member project, either Woojin tries his best and gets something resembling a passing grade and pleads with his professor later or goes down with him. Jihoon offers to hunt down and kill the guy when he finds Woojin red-eyed and crouching in front of his computer the whole of Wednesday, and Woojin has half a mind to just say yes and sics Jihoon on his dickhead of a teammate.

 

“Seongwoo hyung said he can help you look over it.” Jihoon comes out of his room and says after Woojin, with much consideration, declines his offer for murder.

 

“Hmm?” Woojin looks up from his computer and has to blink rapidly because for a second there, he’s sure he was seeing white spots.

 

“Your animation project.” Jihoon replies. “I asked and Seongwoo hyung said he took it last semester and he can help you out.”

 

“Oh my god…” Woojin mutters. Oh my god, of course, he has Seongwoo who actually owes him a favour. “...oh my god.”

 

“Stop calling for me, child.” Jihoon says primly and crosses over to the sofa. “Plus, Minhyun hyung said he’s making pasta tonight so I suggest you go early and mooch off of them for both dinner and schoolwork.”

 

That’s an idea. Minhyun and Seongwoo lives about twenty minutes away so if he goes now, he can still catch them for dinner.

 

“You coming?” Woojin turns to Jihoon and asks.

 

“Nah. I got a date.” Jihoon grins like a particularly charming snake, and Woojin narrows his eyes.

 

He knows Jihoon wouldn’t be helping him out like this out of the pure goodness of his heart.

 

“Are you sexiling me?”

 

“What? Me?” Jihoon blinks innocently. “Of course not. I just invited this guy I met at the club the other day for dinner, and we are just gonna talk and you know, enjoy each other’s company.”

 

“Ergh. Gross.” Woojin groans and slams down his laptop. Jihoon is not as half noisy as Woojin is on an average day, he’ll admit that, but my god, the dude is a whole theatre surround sound system when it comes to sex. The walls in their apartment are not the thickest either and Woojin had been traumatized too badly in the earlier months that they had started living together.

 

“I will return the favour when you finally ask out your food daddy.”

 

“Don’t call him food daddy.” Woojin grunts but blushes a little. Two more days until Friday.

 

“So, just daddy then?”

 

Woojin throws his notebook squared at Jihoon’s head.

 

* * *

 

For all intent and purpose, Woojin had planned to crash Minhyun and Seongwoo’s dinner but from Seongwoo’s instagram, he can see that they are having kind of a date night. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared, but Woojin feels like he should be racking up on some kind of karma points when it comes to “dates”, so he decides to let the old men have their fun and just has dinner at the budget ramen place next door.

 

He gets one more coffee after dinner from Daniel’s store, which he definitely did not visit in hope of seeing Daniel again so it really does not warrant the disappointment he feels when Daniel is not there.

 

The coffee is not even helping anymore because Woojin is either immune to caffeine at this point or his brain is at the state where no chemical stimulus can keep it awake. Woojin puts down his coffee on the ground next to the small bench at the bus stop and leans backwards until his back is resting against the glass panel of the bus shelter and closes his eyes for a while.

 

The bus will take at least 10 minutes to come so he is just gonna rest for a litt…

 

He wakes up with a start into the complete void until his brain calms down enough to realize that he is at the bus stop, the metal bench uncomfortably freezing and hard under his ass. Fuck, how long has he been asleep?

 

“You are awake?”

 

How the fuck…

 

“Are you for real?” Woojin asks, voice hoarse, and only belatedly realizes how that might have come out when Daniel’s smiling face falls a little. “Shit…sorry… I just mean …”

 

How does he even put it into words on his fucking dumbass luck that makes him run into Daniel every time he is some kind of a hot mess. Granted, it is like 60% of Woojin’s daily life, but come on, Daniel couldn’t have been around when Woojin was actually cool for once on stage or something?

 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.” Daniel says and Woojin wants to whimper, explains to him that he doesn’t mean he doesn’t want Daniel around because the truth is the exact opposite. “I just got here a few minutes back for my shift and I found you asleep, and it’s really cold and you look like you are shivering, so..”

 

Woojin suddenly realizes the warmth around his upper body and the smell of something woody. There is a hoodie across his chest… probably Daniel’s hoodie from the looks of it.

 

“You….” Woojin stutters. “You gave me your hoodie and just … sit there and what? Wait?”

 

Daniel turns his head down a little, like he is almost shy. “I wasn’t watching you asleep or anything. My shift doesn’t start until 10:30, so I was just gonna let you sleep until then.”

 

“How are you real … hold the fuck up? It’s 10:30?” Woojin almost jumps out of his seat.

 

“No. Only 15 past 10.” Daniel blinks at him in mild concern.

 

Shit. Shit. Shit. He fell asleep sitting down in a public bus stop for a whole hour?

 

“Are you ok?”

 

“Erm… yeah.” Woojin nods. “Just … I am supposed to stay over at someone’s tonight and it’s quite late now.”

 

Not to mention that his animation project is due in exactly 1 hour and 45 minutes.

 

“Oh…” Daniel blinks. “If you need…”

 

“That’s my bus.” Woojin blinks at the bus slowly rolling over towards them. At least, one thing is on his side. “Daniel, thank you. I mean, god, I still can’t believe you exist, but I really need to catch this bus and I know I keep telling you I’ll pay you back.”

 

“You don’t need to pay me back anything.” Daniel replies as Woojin fumbles for his card.

 

“Are you … erm…” Woojin says in a rush but cannot seem to find the words because the bus is coming closer and he doesn’t want to ask Daniel out when he barely has 10 seconds left to be around the man. “…I mean, thank you, again. God, how many times do I have to keep thanking you? Are you working on Friday? I’ll come to the store.”

 

“No, I don’t have another shift until next Thursday after tonight.”

 

Next Thursday. Fuck.

 

“Ok…ok.” Woojin nods hurriedly and flags down the bus. “Next Thursday then. I’ll see you next Thursday.”

 

“Or we can ..”

 

“Bye, Daniel. Next Thursday. I promise.” Woojin yells and jumps onto the bus, leaving a dumbfounded Daniel at the stop.

 

God, next Thursday is so far away.

 

Woojin puts down his bag and his hoodie to get to his phone … hang on… he doesn’t have a hoodie.

 

God-fucking-damn-it.

 

So, so far, Woojin has not only mooched off food from the guy he wants to ask out, but has also stolen his hoodie.

 

Things are going swell, he guesses.

 

* * *

 

Minhyun looks worried when Woojin tells him that he fell asleep at the bus stop for a whole hour but he at least has the decency to not go into one of his worried rants until Woojin finishes submitting his project with more help from Seongwoo than he is comfortable getting with, but beggars cannot be choosers at this point.

 

“What’s your teammate name?” Minhyun asks as Woojin finally is relieved enough to slump down onto the sofa and shoves his head onto the obscene number of throw pillows Minhyun and Seongwoo have. “I can get Sungwoon hyung to check up on him.”

 

Man, Jihoon would have been a piece of cake to handle. If Woojin’s useless teammate gets a target painted on by Sungwoon himself, that would guarantee life long scars and trauma.

 

“It’s fine.” Woojin mumbles. The pillows are too comfortable for his words to come out anything but mushed and contented. “I’ll talk to the professor next lecture and see if I can get someone else to work with. Don’t sic the Mighty TA onto him. Yet.”

 

“Well, just let me know if you need to.” Minhyun says and puts a soft blanket over Woojin. God, Woojin loves him so much and he must really be tired out of his mind to even _think_ that.

 

“Did you get a wrong hoodie size or something?” Seongwoo is saying, holding Daniel’s hoodie in front of him. “This looks way too big for you.”

 

“Gimme…” Woojin extends his hands and asks like a child asking for his teddy bear. Seongwoo gives him a look but obediently hands him the hoodie, and Woojin hugs it into him. It smells homey and soft, and Woojin is too vulnerable right now to not imagine it was the human Daniel instead of the hoodie Daniel that he is hugging.

 

“Good night, Woojin.” Minhyun says that - Woojin thinks, then the lights go out and Woojin sighs contentedly.

 

Next Thursday.

 

He is going to ask Daniel out next Thursday.

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo’s rented studio is small and cramped, but at least, there is natural lighting and a brick wall that would transfer really well onto film. It’s not that bad of a place to film a project considering the price.

 

“I only have until 4, hyung.” Woojin says as he puts down his bag and examines the rental high-grade camera that Seongwoo has gotten. “Sorry about that. I have ten middle schoolers to teach.”

 

“Right. How are the dance classes going?” Seongwoo asks. Woojin has been doing side jobs teaching at the community dance clubs for kids because it is decent pay and relatively easy work. It is also seasonal because some of these kids are even busier than him with their school work, which is depressing, and he needs to work around both theirs and his schedule for a class.

 

“Not bad. I got them down for some of the basic steps. A few godzilla moms keep asking me when their kids will be able to do the windmill but nothing I can’t handle.”

 

Seongwoo shakes his head. “We don’t need too much time today anyway. I just need you to go through the choreo steps with Daniel and then look them over for some time to see if you can spot which can be changed to transfer better on film.”

 

“Yeah sure…” Woojin nods, and then stops. “Hang on…your dancer’s name is Daniel?”

 

“Yeah, Minhyun’s high school friend from Busan.. Kang Daniel… I told you about him before, right? He’s doing this project for me.”

 

No. No, Seongwoo definitely did not tell him that the dancer friend from Dongha Art Institute that routinely hangs out with them is Kang Daniel from Busan, because Woojin would have definitely remember.

 

How many Kang Daniel from Busan can there be in Seoul?

 

Woojin, for his own sake, wishes not a lot.

 

His weak prayers are answered when not two minutes later, the one and only, wide-shouldered and beautiful-smiled Kang Daniel walks in through the narrow door of the studio, shouting Seongwoo’s name.

 

Woojin would like to thank not only god but Jesus and Mother Mary.

 

“Hyung … I..” Daniel is saying before his eyes settle on Woojin and Woojin tries his best to hide the smile that is trying to break out on his face, but he is pretty sure he failed anyway. “Woojin?”

 

“Hi.” Woojin grins. “Hi. Daniel.”

 

“You knew him?” Seongwoo narrows his eyes and asks and Woojin nods rapidly while Daniel looks … a little lost and not as smiley as he is before.

 

Woojin deflates a little.

 

“You two are friends?” Daniel finally asks and Woojin feels a small ping inside his chest because it almost feels like Daniel thinks Woojin is someone he wouldn’t imagine being friends with Seongwoo, which, given their faces, Woojin would understand, but still, you know, it hurts a little.

 

“Yeah, he’s the guy I told you about. How’d you two know each other anyway?”

 

“I … erm … sometimes, shop at the place he’s working.” Woojin says. To be fair, he has only bought from the store when Daniel is on shift for one time, but that sounds like a fair enough explanation. Even Daniel is nodding along, and finally does not look like he is surprised in a not-so-good way.

 

Woojin just chops it down to Daniel not expecting to see him (and possibly, Woojin stealing his hoodie last Wednesday – which he had explained and promised Daniel that he’ll return it back), and gets to work because he really does need to leave in a couple of hours no matter how much he now wants to ditch his class.

 

Woojin cannot figure out a way to discreetly ask Daniel’s number because Seongwoo is always around – he has to given that this is his project but Woojin allows himself to feel a little resentment. Sure, he can grow a pair of balls and ask in front of Seongwoo but he does not enjoy Seongwoo’s insufferable teasing that much. Plus, he does not want Daniel to feel any pressure if, you know, he doesn’t want to give his number to Woojin and has to do it because of Seongwoo. Yes, Woojin is definitely looking out for Daniel; he’s not scared whatsoever.

 

But he still learned a couple of vital information like the fact that Daniel is a couple years older than him (and he asks Woojin to call him just _hyung_ with all smile – a part of Woojin’s soul melted right there and then and hasn’t been found since), and is a cat person (..which is fine, Woojin can deal with things worse than cats for Daniel) and that he dances beautifully (sure he dances with less power than Woojin does but that might end up better in the long run because Woojin is always dying by the middle of every stage and he has the kind of grace and poise of someone who definitely had the training in modern dance.)

 

By the time he has to leave Daniel and Seongwoo, Woojin is not even that regretful because things had gone pretty fucking well by his standard and he even discreetly asked Daniel if he wants to go for a coffee sometimes to talk more about the choreography (Seongwoo’s suspicious eyebrows are off the chart but Woojin plays dumb), and Daniel had replied with a _sure, why not_ with his signature smile.

 

Maybe life is not all bad all the times.

 

Which, unfortunately, turns out to be his famous last words.

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo finds Woojin during Tuesday lunch in their campus canteen.

 

Jihoon is the one who looks up when Seongwoo sets his tray down at their table, looking serious for once in his life.

 

“Where’s Minhyun hyung?” Woojin asks with a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

 

“Class.” Seongwoo says simply and folds his arms before looking at Woojin.

 

Woojin shrinks a little in discomfort. “What?”

 

“You know you can tell us anything, right?”

 

“Erm… ok?”

 

“So?” Seongwoo presses. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”

 

Woojin blinks. “I … got a D for my dance theory paper? I mean, I am not failing, but …”

 

“I am not talking about school.” Seongwoo interrupts him. “I am talking about … your living conditions.”

 

“My what?” Woojin frowns. “I’m living with Jihoon, you know that.”

 

“So, why does my friend, Daniel, ask me if I am doing anything to help you out with your situation?”

 

“What situation?” Woojin narrows his eyes. How does Daniel even get involved?

 

Seongwoo groans exasperatedly. “Woojin! He told me that you are homeless. He thinks you are some kind of struggling art student living on street.”

 

The mash potatoes in his mouth got stuck in his throat and he can hear the clang of the fork Jihoon had dropped next to him, but Woojin cannot pay attention to it right now because what the fuck..

 

WHAT THE FUCK…

 

“Daniel?” Jihoon is saying. “Daniel from the convenience store?”

 

“You know him too?” Seongwoo turns to him.

 

“Not in person, but Woojin had talked about him way too much to me so he’s practically an urban legend at this point.”

 

“Why would he talk …”

 

“What do you mean he thinks I’m homeless?” Woojin cuts him off and wails.

 

“I don’t know, bro. That’s why I am asking you.” Seongwoo replies. “I met him last night and he was quite hesitant about it until I pressed him. He told me that he met you a couple of times, and he can see the signs. I mean, Daniel did struggle a lot when he got to Seoul the first time, and he bounced through a few shelters before so…”

 

“Oh my god… oh my god…” Jihoon exclaims next to him. “Woojin, he’s been feeding you because he thinks you are fucking homeless.”

 

“Stop fucking laughing, asshole!”

 

“Sorry…sorry…” Jihoon rasps out in through his annoying guffaws. “I mean, bro, I really do feel sorry for you, but this is hilarious. You did meet him when you are either drenched in the rain and broke or digging trash.”

 

And when he was sleeping at a bus shelter at night like a homeless person, Woojin thinks back in desperate retrospect.

 

Fuck. Daniel has been nice to him because he thinks Woojin is a poor homeless kid, not because he has any kind of feelings for Woojin.

 

Woojin wants to cry and scream at something. And also, preferably, die.

 

“Am I missing something here?” Seongwoo asks, looking back and forth between the two of them.

 

“I … I need to go.” Woojin mumbles and takes his backpack, almost slamming his tray down onto the floor on accident.

 

“Hey… hey, Woojin.” Jihoon catches up to him. “You can just talk to him and set him straight. It’s not a big deal.”

 

It is … Jihoon probably does not have any idea what it is like to feel humiliated, but Woojin can tell that it is a pretty big fucking deal. Especially when it involves somebody Woojin can actually grow to really fucking like.

 

“I’ve got class.” Woojin lies blatantly. Jihoon knows Woojin’s schedule so he knows Woojin definitely does not have any class for the day, but he still lets Woojin go to be on his own, so maybe Jihoon is not that bad of a friend after all.

 

Woojin is actually supposed to go and collect Daniel’s hoodie from the dry cleaning store he had sent it to because he doesn’t want to risk ruining it when he does laundry. He has been preparing what he is going to say and how he is going to talk to Daniel the day after tomorrow when he goes visit Daniel during his shift and gives his hoodie back, but now he does not know anything he can or should say to Daniel.

 

How do you even tell someone that you are just a hot mess and not actually homeless?

 

* * *

 

Jihoon does offer to come with him for moral support when Woojin dejectedly takes the cleaned hoodie and head out to the convenience store on Thursday, probably because he had seen Woojin moping around the house like a sad hamster, but Woojin turns him down because if he is going to get humiliated, he is not going to do it in front of an audience.

 

Not that he thinks Daniel is anywhere close to humiliate him. Seongwoo called him later on Tuesday and said that Daniel himself had been struggling a few years before so he is pretty sensitive to things like this, and Woojin tried not to fall harder at just the kind of the person Daniel is because at the end of the day, Daniel just feels bad for him and it is not a feeling Woojin wants Daniel to be feeling when it comes to him.

 

Woojin sees Daniel at the counter through the glass walls of the empty store and braces himself before walking into the store steely.

 

The _welcome_ on Daniel’s lips die quietly when he sees Woojin coming in and he comes out from behind the counter to meet Woojin halfway.

 

“Hey, Woojin!”

 

“I am not homeless.” was definitely not the first thing Woojin had planned to blurt out, but his mouth is sometimes connected to a different brain, and even the immediate hand that he clasped over his mouth does not help.

 

Daniel looks stunned in front of him.

 

“I … yeah… Seongwoo hyung set me straight. Listen, I am really sorry about that.”

 

“No, I..” Woojin scratches at his neck uselessly. “It’s fine. I know I can look like a mess sometimes.”

 

“It is …” Daniel sighs. “I am really sorry. It is just that I hated having to live from shelter to shelter, and I don’t want anyone else to live like that if I can help it.”

 

“You are a good person, hyung.” Woojin smiles despite of himself. “Thanks for lending me your hoodie as well. I mean, I kind of stole it, but you know, thanks.”

 

“Woojin…”

 

“I had to go.” Woojin says. “I have … classes tomorrow.”

 

“How about that coffee?” Daniel asks him before Woojin can leaves. “You said last week that we should go for a coffee, right?”

 

God, Daniel must have been feeling quite guilty to be offering to hang out with Woojin, so Woojin gives him the best smile he can muster up. “Right. Maybe sometimes next week. I still owe you.”

 

“You don’t owe me anything, Woojin.” Daniel says in sincerity.

 

“I can actually afford to pay you back. Don’t worry.” Woojin says in what he hopes is a light teasing tone but from the way Daniel’s face falls, it probably comes out more like a snap.

 

Shit. He just can’t stop fucking things up, can he?

 

“I … erm.. gotta go.” Woojin says and whooshes, and this time, Daniel does not stop him.

 

Woojin curses at himself all the way back home and asks Jihoon to just slice his neck, but Jihoon is way too much into playing the good friend role, and just offers him ice cream.

 

It is not a bad alternative.

 

* * *

 

Daniel texts him the next day.

 

The “ _Hey, this is Daniel. I got your number from Seongwoo hyung. I hope you don’t mind”_ text jolts Woojin awake out of his sleepy morning haze and he almost fell off the bed.

 

Daniel said he does not want them to be awkward if they are meeting from times to times to work on Seongwoo’s project, so Woojin texts him back that they are cool and not awkward at all.

 

Woojin has never felt this awkward typing on his very own phone.

 

It is, perhaps, a problem.

 

* * *

 

Woojin would ditch Seongwoo’s project if Seongwoo and Minhyun haven’t done so much for him. He did consider ditching and begging for forgiveness but Minhyun has that natural instinct for the parental disappointment glare and Woojin, unfortunately, is not immune to them.

 

So, when the next weekend rolls around, Woojin drags his unwilling body to Seongwoo’s rented studio again, making sure he is running a little late in case he ran into Daniel for any small talk.

 

Is he being a little asshole? Yes.

 

Is he feeling bad about that? Yes.

 

Is he not gonna do it? No.

 

Except, Seongwoo is not there yet despite Woojin being a good 15 minutes late. Only Daniel, who is setting up the lights.

 

Woojin gives a hefty consideration on the merits of turning and running but Daniel had caught the sight of him so Woojin gives him a smile, which he hopes come out more like a smile, and less like a grimace, and asks. “Seongwoo hyung is late?”

 

“I … may have asked him to come an hour late.” Daniel says, looking a little guilty, and Woojin frowns. “I am sorry. I just want to talk to you and make sure there is no hard feelings between us.”

 

Oh, there definitely are some _hard_ feelings, but probably not the way Daniel is expecting.

 

“There isn’t, hyung.” Woojin says. “We are good. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Daniel says with a small frown. “Because it just feels like … you are different now. I mean, sure, we haven’t talked much, but you were always easy to talk to and, you know, warm, but now it feels like you are trying to avoid me whenever you can.”

 

Daniel called him _warm_ , and Woojin does notice the irony of how warm his cheeks get at Daniel’s words.

 

“You haven’t even responded me when I texted you for coffee the other day.” Daniel is continuing. “I know I probably had offended you, but I am really sorry about that.”

 

“Hyung!” Woojin cuts him off. “Please stop apologizing. I told you that you did nothing wrong. I just … I just don’t want you to do things for me out of pity.”

 

Daniel blinks in surprise. “I don’t do things for you out of pity, Woojin. Well, I mean, mostly. I did give you that sausage free the first time because I feel bad for you and mostly because you were holding up the line.”

 

Woojin groans into the palms of his hands.

 

“But I am asking you to coffee now for the same reason I said yes when you asked me last week. Because I think you are an amazing dancer with a lot of ideas and a good person to talk to.”

 

“Thanks?” Woojin manages to squeak out.

 

“Also, partly because I think you are cute.”

 

“You do?” Woojin blinks at him. Him? Cute?

 

“The first time I saw you in the store…” Daniel smiles, almost bashfully and it is so endearing that all Woojin can do is bite down at his lips to not whimper. “…I thought you were really cute even if you were 80% water at that time. The whole… homeless … thing come later on. Not that I’m the kind of person who would only help people that are cute! I mean, I do think you are cute, but it’s just ..”

 

It is, quite probable that the stars have aligned and Daniel is somehow a person who can get as awkward as Woojin if given the chance from the way he is tripping over his words.

 

And it might be a dickhead thing to say, but seeing Daniel fumbling a little puts Woojin at ease because the image of Daniel he has in his mind is this perfect dancer philanthropist hot biker dude who likes to pet cats and it is intimidating.

 

But the Daniel in front of him? The Daniel who is stuttering because he is over himself trying to explain something he does not need to and the Daniel who is definitely flushing a little? That Daniel is endearing and Woojin does not know where he gets the courage from, maybe because Daniel called him cute and it feeds him the life energy he needs to be a functioning adult, so he cuts Daniel off with a _Hyung!_

 

Daniel snaps his lips shut, and shuffles his feet like he does not know what to do with his entire body and Woojin takes a step closer, not close enough to touch, but closer than what is probably an acceptable bro-distance.

 

“I..” Woojin swallows down, hoping he gets the words right, because he sure as hell didn’t prepare for this. “I am Park Woojin. I am a broke college student most of the times and I like to dance and make stupid films when I am not dying on schoolwork. Will you go out for a coffee with me? On a date where I will feed you for a change, and I can be sure that you are nice to me because you like me or maybe come to like me enough, and not because you think I am helpless.”

 

Daniel’s eyes widen before a smile finally breaks through and Woojin can see the sun shining in front of his face again.

 

* * *

 

“Here’s an idea for you.” Jihoon is saying, swinging his dangling feet back and forth from where he is sitting on Woojin’s bed. “Homeless chic. That’d suit your style.”

 

Woojin throws the jacket he discarded at Jihoon’s face.

 

“Will you ever let that go?!”

 

“Why would I?” Jihoon grins. “It’s hilarious.”

 

The doorbell rings so Woojin gives Jihoon one last killer glare before running out of his room. Shit. It’s already 7?

 

“Ready?” Daniel is grinning at the other end of the threshold, and god, he looks good even in his plain shirt and jeans, and Woojin groans.

 

“Do I look ready, hyung?” He opens the door to let Daniel in and gestures at himself. “I am still in my sweatpants.”

 

“You always look good to me, babe.” Daniel says with a kiss and Woojin flushes a little. Daniel always says things like that and the worse thing is he means them and it makes Woojin feels very strange things.

 

“Yellow card.” Jihoon yells as he comes out of Woojin’s room into his own room. “No PDA on this premise.”

 

“You were literally making out with your boyfriend on the living room couch yesterday!” Woojin reminds him, but Jihoon just gives him a happy air kiss.

 

“Niel hyung, help dress your boyfriend or your friends are also going to think he’s homeless.”

 

Daniel laughs and holds Woojin by the waist so he cannot run and drop kick Jihoon in the nuts.

 

“Just wear one of your thirty black shirts and some jeans.” Daniel says, voice mumbled because his lips are on the crown of Woojin’s head. “Don’t worry too much about it. They are just my school friends.”

 

“Older and cooler school friends.” Woojin reminds him, and turns in Daniel’s arms so he can kiss his boyfriend properly. “You remember your promise about not telling them _everything_ about how we met?”

 

“Why?” Daniel grins cheekily. “I thought it’d make a fun story.”

 

“At my expense!” Woojin pouts.

 

“Whatever you want, baby.” Daniel grins and gives Woojin a short peck. “Now, please go and change so we can get on the road. I am starving.”

 

Woojin nods and heads into his bedroom to get something that looks nice and clean enough. He would like to make a good first impression on Daniel’s friends although if he had learned anything with Daniel, first impressions do not really matter that much if something is meant to be.


End file.
